The 10-year-old Brazilian girl confined in isolation at the Palawan provincial hospital has been cleared of novel coronavirus (nCoV), based on an initial test conducted by health authorities.
Dr. Mario S. Baquilod, Department of Health (DOH) regional director, on Wednesday morning said that they are waiting for the result of the 2nd confirmatory test before they cam order the discharge of the Brazilian patient.
“1 out of the 2 confirmatory tests showed good result, negative so far. We are just waiting for the 2nd result before we can discharge her,” Baquilod said.
The foreign family, who were on vacation in El Nido town, was isolated in Ospital Ng Palawan (ONP) on Friday after showing flu-like symptoms which was initially related to nCoV.
The 10-year old “highly suspicious” kid was a candidate for nCoV confirmatory test after showing three out of four symptomatic indicators based on the protocol set forth by the World Health Organization (WHO) and DOH.
Meanwhile, Palawan provincial board member Ryan Maminta on Tuesday proposed temporary ban on entry of Chinese nationals in the province, following the nCoV scare.
“This is a primordial concern. Diplomacy, social, and economic interests can take a back seat. Self-preservation must take priority,” Maminta said.
The city and provincial government has since enforced tighter security measures on airports and seaports to prevent the entry of the newest strain of coronavirus which was discovered on late December 2019.
The country remains nCoV-free according to DOH as of press time.